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| 4. Iodine
 
Simple, solid and enjoyable, the Crest of the Stars
series is the first chapter of an epic space opera with a subtle romance at its
heart. When the planet Martine is conquered by the empire of the genetically-enhanced
space-dwelling Abh, young Jinto Lin not only becomes one of their nobility but
is obligated to serve in the Abh Star Forces. As a teenager, on his way to the
academy, he meets the lovely Abh, Lafiel, who just happens to be a daughter of
the royal family. The romantic elements are generally secondary to the space adventure,
as a war between the Abh and the United Mankind breaks out and the mismatched
pair wind up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Though there is plenty of excitement,
the show focuses mainly on the dialogues between various characters, placing great
importance on the individuals behind the momentous events that occur. A major
success is the creation of the Abh people, who have their own behaviors, logic,
and cultural norms that Jinto must adapt himself to. The
design of the show is simple, but striking. Quite a lot of the epic feel comes
from the use of orchestral themes and the completely original Abh language. The
animation is rather limited, but delivers when it counts, and the writing more
than makes up for any of these technical flaws. Of the characters, the strongest
is Lafiel, who, in all her juxtaposed brilliance and vulnerability, is one of
the best heroines I've seen in a long time. The charmingly low-key Jinto is weak
in comparison, but makes a perfect guide and observer. The first season is easily
the best in terms of story, but the others keep up the same quality and provide
better closure. As a whole, the series is probably too slow for most action fiends,
but is just about right for those interested in quieter, more grand scale sci-fi. |
| 3. Cross
Scars 
Excluding a few notable series I'm not too keen on sci-fi anime
but Crest of the Stars now joins those worthy exceptions. What's so good
about this series is the sheer attention detail that so many other series lack.
There's a lot of dialogue between characters, which can be seen as tedious, and
the series, at least for the first half, moves at a quite relaxed pace, but for
me it all helps to give the cast a real depth of character. Even those characters
that aren't in the series for long still feel like proper characters because of
this. This high level of detail is brilliantly transferred
to the space battles that occur in this series. Rather than seeing repetitive
scenes where ships blast each other to pieces we're treated to what's behind all
the action as commanders plan out their strategies and how we see each crew man
playing their own part. Whether it's the Gosroth's confrontation or the epic space
battle that spans the last few episodes of the series the detail ascribed to them
makes them stand far out from most other space battles. Yet
Crest of the Stars doesn't focus much on the intergalactic war that is
slowly unfolding but instead on the relationship and events surrounding just two
people - Lafiel and Jinto. The contrasting nature and relationship between these
two is the real focus of the series and Crest of the Stars plays out something
more convincing and interesting than most anime series. However despite this focus
the series is put together so well that the epic feel of the whole series is never
lost. It all bodes well for Battleflag of the Stars! |
| 2. Tempy
Crest of the Stars is only the beginning of a much longer
epic about warring factions in space. The genetically engineered Abh are set on
a collision course with an alliance of the other major forces in the universe.
Set to this background we have the young Terran nobleman Jinto meeting with Lafiel
of the royal Abriel family. During the show we get to learn about the Abh mentality,
and through Jinto and Lafiel we get to enjoy the interactions between Terran and
Abh culture. This is a very dialogue-driven show, with lots of conflicts fought
out with words. It's also very interesting to see how Jinto and Lafiel's relationship
progresses along the way. Lafiel is a tough cookie, rarely showing signs of weakness,
and it is through this hard exterior which Jinto tries to break through. It still
has a long way to go, and I'll be very interested in seeing what it develops into
in the sequel series Battleflag of the Stars. What this show also has are
excellent battle scenes. They're epic and more involving because, as opposed to
some series where ships just dart around skillfully and shoot down their targets,
in Crest of the Stars we get to see commands shouted out, and their direct
consequences. The way the scenes are written out and directed, we always know
what's going on, and appreciate the battle more if the commanding and fighting
skills are apparent and not just a mere exhibition of "talent". Episode
5, "The Battle of Gosroth", must be one of the best battle scenes I've
witnessed in anime. The episodes following that, seem to pale in comparison to
that excitement, as we return to the more subdued dialogue driven parts of the
show. Like in all good epic shows we do get introduced to a ton of interesting
characters, and it seems quite an impossible task to give all of them decent screentime
in the two series following Crest of the Stars. As for negatives, I'm still
not too keen on some of the character designs with heads shaped like upside down
pears, but not on all characters, which makes it look more out of place. And sometimes
the dialogue does drag on a bit longer than necessary. While there isn't a lot
of music in the background, when it does show up, it's appropriately epic without
being too bombastic. Story-wise it's very intriguing and makes me excited for
the rest of the saga. |
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